


All I Want for Christmas is a Robin

by LebreTim



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Christmas, Crack, Dick is Annoying, F/M, Family Dynamics, I'll tag as I go, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-17 12:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13076973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LebreTim/pseuds/LebreTim
Summary: "Emerald green eyes, naturally tanned skin and a very familiar scowling face, what could only mean two things: Thalia had decided to play get impregnated by Batman and hide his child away again or Damian was de-aged."





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first Tim/Damian work and is probably the last too because I still feel like I can't make a very convincing Damian. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Tim woke up wishing to go immediately back to sleep so he stretched his back looking much like a cat and rolled to the right side of the mattress, planning to do just that.

With his half-closed eyes, he caught the silhouette of a very – like, very – young boy standing next to his bed and raised his head to take a better look at him.

Emerald green eyes, naturally tanned skin and a very familiar scowling face, what could only mean two things: Thalia had decided to play get impregnated by Batman and hide his child away again or Damian was de-aged.

Not being able to decide which was more likely to be true he did the obvious thing: Rolled to the other side of the bed, closed his eyes and went back to sleep because whatever he wasn’t seeing wasn’t his problem to deal with anyway.

As much as it would hurt to admit, it wasn’t his most effective plan because seconds later he felt a very small – and annoying – finger poking his face. He could have ignored it, but truth be told his sleepiness had run away and had token his will to live along.

So, just to make everything clear, now he was in his bedroom at the manor staring down at the kid – probably Damian, probably B’s new child – while the kid stared back at him with an impatient expression.

Tim winced when the boy raised his arms, sort of expecting him to be holding a knife or something equally dangerous but the lack of weapons only made him freak out more. If the kid didn’t want to kill him then what did he want? “Pick me up,” He demanded as if reading Tim’s mind, which was kind of creepy.

Just to be sure Tim mentally asked who he was and when the child didn’t answer he was able to breathe again knowing that his mind wasn’t being read.

With a heavy sigh, he threw the blankets away, got up and clumsily picked the kid up almost having a heart attack when Damian – maybe, maybe not – buried his tiny hands on his hair and leaned against him.

Ok, that child was the cutest little thing he had ever laid his eyes on, not that he was going to admit it. Besides, if he was Bruce’s the man should be the one caring him around so yes, Tim would play the stork and deliver the boy but that was it.

On a second thought, Bruce would probably just hand the kid to Alfred so Tim could as well make everything easier and go looking for the butler already. He made his way downstairs feeling the tiny chest against his moving slightly with every breath, it was a little bit weird but still nice.

He walked in the kitchen spotting Bruce at the head of the table having his breakfast. Before he could say anything though, Alfred turned to him from whatever smelled like heaven on the oven and greeted him. “Good morning Master Tim. And…” He trailed off once his eyes caught the boy.

“Unknown kid?” He tried and Bruce finally looked at them.

For a minute the sound of the fork the man was holding hitting the table was the only thing heard. “Is that Damian?” He inquired in a voice that belonged much more to Batman than him.

“Unless you have something to tell us, I guess so,” Tim answered with all the sass he could muster.

Bruce knitted his eyebrows under the judgmental looks he and Alfred were sending his way before scowling. “No, I have nothing to tell you.”

The butler snorted and murmured something that sounded a lot like _thank the lord_ and went back to the stove. Tim approached B to hand the kid to him but as soon as he tried to put him away he felt his hair being pulled. “Damian, let my hair go,” he said annoyed.

“Never,” was the kid short reply.

Tim tried once more but gave up having decided he would like to keep his hair in place, thank you very much. He pulled a chair and sat down before Damian made himself comfortable on his lap. He debated throwing the kid on Bruce now that he was less attentive but there were so many forks and knives around that he didn’t want to risk it.

“Would you like some pancakes, Master Damian?” Alfred asked while displaying a plate with a couple of pancakes, the one at the top having a smiling face drawn with syrup and some fruits.

“Please Pennyworth,” He answered.

“Can I have mine with a smiling face too?” Tim squealed and then added with a deeper voice. “For research purposes, of course.” Alfred chuckled but nodded anyway. He was so busy trying to remember the last time he had something for breakfast that wasn’t only black coffee that he almost missed Damian glaring at him. Almost being the keyword. “What?”

“You have to cut it for me,” The kid said as if it was obvious.

Somehow Tim couldn’t believe that Damian didn’t know how to manipulate a knife but he let it slide and did as demanded.

“How old are you, Damian?” Bruce asked from the head of the table, carefully watching the interaction between his sons.

“Four.” The kid answered looking confused, probably finding it weird that his own father didn’t know how old he was.

Tim made a face. “I wasn’t that big when I was four.”

“You’ve always been short for your age,” Bruce remarked with a barely-there smile. “Still are.”

Oh right, ever since Damian had outgrown him everyone felt like it was their duty to remind Tim that he was now the shortest in the family. “Et tu Brute?” He mumbled under his breath and finished cutting Damian’s pancakes before handing him the fork.

Maybe spending Christmas at the manor wasn’t his best idea, of course he didn’t really have an option since Alfred made it very clear that whoever dared not to show up would be severely punished.

With a pout, Tim watched as Damian picked a piece of the pancake and took it to his mouth, he chewed it a bit and then picked another piece, but instead of taking it to his own mouth he made a beeline to put it against Tim’s lips. He blinked a couple of times before opening his mouth and catching the small piece under the kid’s watchful stare.

Tim pretended not to see Bruce raising an eyebrow and shot Alfred a smile. “It’s delicious Alfred.”

“Indeed it is Pennyworth,” Damian agreed and Tim refused to think that the way he mispronounced the butler’s name was cute. “Thank you.”

Alfred also put a cup of juice for Damian and a mug of coffee for Tim on the table – which he was really thankful for because the first coffee of the day was the most important – and the kid kept feeding Tim half of his breakfast and ok, he had to admit it was kind of nice of him.

“Once you’re finished head down to the cave so we can check on Damian,” Bruce said while getting up.

Tim noticed when Damian frowned, probably wondering why he should be checked on but the kid kept shut. Opening his mouth, the man made a protesting sound, as if asking for another piece of pancake. Damian easily got the hint end fed him with big eyes, everything about what Bruce said forgotten.

Tim just wanted Christmas to be over already. And maybe another piece of pancake, but mostly the Christmas thing.

000080000 000080000

Half an hour later, Tim, Damian, and Bruce were down on the Batcave. The kid had barely blinked when B used a needle to take a bit of his blood, it seemed that as long as he was glued to his older brother side he wouldn’t complain about a thing. It was only a theory though because Damian hadn’t left him alone for a single second so he didn’t know how the kid would react away from him.

“Everything is just like it was before,” Bruce said once they got the results. De-aging was far from the weirdest thing they had seen and that was the reason why none of them had panicked yet. “Which means that magic is the reason Damian is like that.”

Both men sighed at the same time. They hated magic so much.

“What do we do then?” Tim inquired while trying to get a better hold of Damian. His arms would look amazing after that craziness.

“Let’s wait until tomorrow. If it doesn’t wear off until then I’m going to contact Zatanna.”

“Okay, who’s going to take care of Damian for now?” Bruce looked at him with a pointed look and he nodded. “Right.” He drew the word before turning around. If he was going to look after Damian it sure wasn’t going to be in a place full of weapons. “This is not the right environment for a kid; let’s find something for us to do upstairs.” He stopped before reaching the first stair. “I’ll make sure to send you the bill for my babysitter services.”

Bruce chuckled before turning to the Batcomputer. It wouldn’t be long before Alfred appeared to drag him away from work and Tim would have the pleasure to see B being scolded by the butler like a little kid.

They had just reached the living room when Damian, still holding his hair, put some distance between them and looked straight into his eyes. “What’s wrong with me?” He demanded to know.

“Nothing,” The kid glared at him and pulled his hair. “Ouch! Ok, I’ll tell you,” It was clear now that Damian was smart enough to know that there was something going on but Tim didn’t feel like explaining the whole story to him. “It’s just that you’re actually that tall.” He raised one of his hands to be at the same height as the top of his head.

“Am I?” Damian asked half suspicious and half hopeful.

Tim sighed and raised his hand even more. “Actually you’re more like that, but for some reason, you woke up short.”

“I’m taller than you!” He exclaimed smugly and for a moment it was like eighteen-years-old Damian was in front of him.

“Yes, Damian, you are.” He said annoyed.

He started to wonder if they couldn’t just leave the boy like that. Tim liked this version better, besides if they kept things like this way it would take Damian another eleven years to outgrow him again and life would be good for a while.

Only if he could survive Damian’s new found affection for him.


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Damian glared at the mirror, practicing his batstare and flexing his arms before he turned to him. “Good. It’s time to catch Titanicus and end his reign of horror. Let’s go, Robin!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for taking time to read this work, here's the second chapter.

In the next day, Tim was woken up by Alfred a little bit after nine o’clock. Although he had begged to stay in bad the butler insisted that little boys should have a healthy routine, which did not include sleep in.

At first, Tim felt deeply offended, not believing that the butler too was making fun of his height but then he noticed the small body lying snuggled up to him and realized he was actually talking about Damian.

He was able to go through his morning routine and even managed to change his pajamas for some casual clothing before waking Damian up and helping him do the same. He tried to make the kid put on some of Bruce’s clothes of when he was four-years-old but the boy had crossed his arms, growled and refused to wear them.

“Damian,” He sighed for the eighth time. To see him only wearing briefs with a scowl on his face would be very cute if Tim wasn’t so annoyed. “You can’t go around without clothes, it’s cold!”

“I am not wearing this, Timothy! It’s old!” He snapped.

“All right,” He turned around and started to look for something inside his closet. He finally found a Batman t-shirt he used to wear all the time when he was eleven or something, caught a scissor that was lying on his desk and approached the kid. “You owe me a T-Shirt,” Even though Damian was looking at him suspiciously, he allowed Tim to help him put on the clothing and didn’t move when the man cut off the remaining fabric so it would reach his ankles. “It’s not perfect, but it will do,” Tim mumbled to himself before making the kid slip on some socks.

“I guess it’s suitable,” Was all Damian said before raising his arms, expecting to be picked up.

Tim couldn’t understand why the kid wanted to be carried around all the time since he could walk just fine but maybe it was time to find out. “I’m not carrying you, Damian. Let’s go.” He walked to the door and turned to look at the boy.

Damian stayed still for a couple of seconds before his mouth opened, his eyes got watery and he started to cry using all the strength of his lungs.

It took Tim a whole second to understand what was going on but once he did, he practically flew into the boy’s direction and took his little body into his arms, rocking him slowly. “Shh, it’s ok. Don’t cry, little man. Don’t cry,” Noticing that Damian wasn’t calming down, he played his last and most effective card. “If you stop crying I promise we’ll make anything you want after breakfast.”

“I want to play heroes,” The kid stated as if he wasn’t crying just one second ago. There were no tears in his eyes, no snot in his nose –he was really thankful for that -, only Damian and his cute but still superior expression.

Tim breathed in as they exited the bedroom, he was a hundred percent sure he hadn’t signed up for this when he agreed to be a hero.

Before they could walk in the kitchen, Damian pulled his hair making him stop dead on his track. “Will you play with me or not?” The kid glanced inside the room before staring back at him. “I don’t think Pennyworth will be happy to see me crying in case your answer is no.”

That little menace! “All right, Damian. I’ll play with you.” He finally agreed and resumed his walk. Tim was secretly hoping he would be Wonder Woman just so he could tie the kid to a chair with his lasso of truth, run and get away with it.

Just like all the meals they had in the day before Damian insisted to feed him. The young man was okay with it, he didn’t think he would be disagreeing with Damian so soon, principally with Alfred around.

Bruce joined them later on and shot a look at Damian. “I see it didn’t wear off. I’m going to contact Zatanna.” He made a move to leave.

“I suggest you have your breakfast first, Master Bruce,” The Butler said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

Bruce sat down with a scowl and Tim hid his snickers by sipping his coffee.

“I’m finished,” Damian announced and turned to look at him. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, let’s go,” He mumbled and then got up.

“What are you two doing today?” Bruce inquired before they could go too far.

“Well, hum, I’m just going to show Damian some fighting moves,” Tim answered and vanished before any other question could be made. He couldn’t be caught playing heroes, his family already had too much blackmail on him.

“Tt. Why did you lie to father, Timothy?” The kid looked at him with judgment, his arms crossed over his little chest.

“If I had told Bruce that we’re playing heroes he would’ve wanted to join us and be Batman,” Gosh, he was impressed how easily the lies seemed to roll out of his mouth.

“That’s unacceptable,” Damian raised his chin. “I’ll be the one playing Batman and you’ll be my Robin.”

Tim took a moment to think about the statement. Eighteen-years-old Damian was always telling him the same thing to push his buttons and it made him wonder if maybe he actually remembered everything and was only acting like a kid to mess with him.

Nah, Damian wouldn’t stand to be around Tim all that time if he was in his right state of mind, no worries there.

“We need costumes,” The kid said once they were back in Tim’s room.

Luckily they were able to makeshift two masks with the remains of the Batman T-shirt and since Damian had insisted they needed capes, Tim got himself a black blanket and a towel in the same color for Damian.

“We’re all set, Batman,” Tim chuckled once he finished tying the kid’s cape.

Damian glared at the mirror, practicing his bat stare and flexing his arms before he turned to him. “Good. It’s time to catch Titanicus and end his reign of horror. Let’s go, Robin!”

It took Tim at least two seconds to realize that the terrible Titanicus was actually Titus, but he soon caught up with the kid as they started following the villain’s track. They spent the next two hours running around after Titus before they were finally able to corner him in the living room.

“What do we do now, Batman?” Tim asked while trying not to make any sudden movements. Only they knew how tricky Titanicus could be.

“I have a plan, Robin. Back me up.”

The young man held his breath as Damian slowly approached Titus with his hand raised. He knew the dog was not going to attack the kid, but he was so engrossed in their play he couldn’t help but wish they would finally catch it. Batman was finally able to touch Titanicus and started to caress his fur. The villain resisted for a second but ended up lying down with its belly up. “Good thinking, Batman! Titanicus has surrounded!” Tim cheered and started to jump around.

It was such a beautiful moment; he should’ve known something was going to ruin it. Or rather someone.

“Ouch!”

Tim stopped jumping immediately and turned around just in time to see Dick hiding a cell phone and massaging the leg he had just hit. “Dick, what are you doing here?”

“Bruce called me and asked me to bring some child clothes,” He landed some bags on the couch and his eyes practically shone when he looked at Damian. “Little D, you look so cute!” He squealed before quickly approaching the boy.

Well, that was it, now that Damian’s favorite brother was here he wasn’t going to need Tim anymore. And if there was a single – very manly – tear running down his face it was because he was happy to get rid of the kid and not because he was going to miss his little man.

Dick bent down to pick Damian up but jumped away when the kid made a move to bite him. “Don’t touch me, Grayson!” He snapped and then ran into Tim’s open arms. He lifted and hugged Damian just as a proud father would do with his son after he scored his first goal or punched his enemy right in the face for the first time.

“Hey,” Dick pouted and approached them with his arms crossed. “Since when Tim is your favorite brother?”

“Since when do I answer to you?” Damian remarked, his head was held so high it was almost touching the ceiling. Tim felt like squeezing his sassy little body to death.

Dick squealed again and put a hand on his poor, wounded heart. “I gave you the best years of my life and that’s how you repay me?” Damian just looked at his older brother with an unimpressed face while Tim hid a smile behind the kid’s head. “I’m not giving up that easily. I don’t know what you did, Tim, but I came to stay.”

He sighed heavily and held Damian, who seemed one second from jumping in Dick’s throat, tighter. “Dick, this is not a competition for Damian’s affection,” But just for the record, he would totally win if it was. “You can join us if you want to, right Damian?”

“I’d rather if he doesn’t,” He answered annoyed.

The elder brother stopped to think for a second. “I’ll make you love me again, little D,” He darkly whispered to himself, but everyone heard it, including Alfred that had just stepped into the living room.

“I’m afraid it will have to wait until later, master Dick,” The Butler raised an eyebrow upon seeing Tim’s and Damian’s outfits. “Master Bruce is requiring your presence down in the cave.”

Dick huffed and started to make his way there before he stopped and pointed a finger at the dynamic duo. “I’ll be back,” Then he resumed his walk with Alfred following closely behind.

Tim merely rolled his eyes. Having Dick breathing down his neck for the rest of the week was everything he needed, really. A yawn suddenly escaped him and he started to carry Damian upstairs. “What do you say about we take a nap before lunch, little man?”

“I’m not sleepy,” He said but yawned anyway.

“Do you think you can keep me company?”

“Of course, Timothy,” The kid buried his hands in his hair and leaned against Tim.

When they reached the young man’s bed Damian was already fast asleep.


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Before they could reach the stairs there was a knock at the front door. The young man stopped and looked at the kid who, in turn, looked at him back. “Let’s pretend we didn’t hear it.” He whispered to Damian who nodded._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments, I'm really excited about this work!

Although Bruce tried to contact Zatanna, none of his attempts were returned; which made the man take the matter into his own hands to find out more about Damian’s condition.

Tim wished he didn’t because he had to spend all day down in the Cave while Bruce made question after question to the kid who was growing more annoyed by the second. By the time B was finished Damian was upset, Tim was upset and their father wasn’t much different either.

They went upstairs with the most angered faces ever seen by men and would waste the rest of their day feeling miserable if it wasn’t for Tim’s brilliant mind, that had the perfect idea to grab some of Damian’s art supplies to distract the kid.

While Damian painted the next Monalisa on his little canvas, Tim kept himself busy checking if he had purchased all gifts he had planned for Christmas. 

A little time later they made a break to have lunch and Dick finally joined them. Since Damian couldn’t go out on patrol for obvious reasons and he only allowed Tim to take care of him, Nightwing was the only vigilant available to help Batman and after staying up until late he had to sleep most of the day to recover.

Tim pretended not to see Dick glaring at him every time Damian would take the fork to his mouth but deep down he was feeling very content, it was good to be the favorite brother for a change, he could see now why Dick was so protective of the title.

After finishing lunch they brushed their teeth and went back to the living room; Damian to keep working on his art and Tim to pretend he was doing something useful.

The young man lay down on the couch to rest just a little bit and barely noticed when his eyes started to get heavy. He was already half asleep when he heard Damian’s voice whispering close to his face. “May I paint you, Timothy?”

“Yes, sure,” He answered before a yawn escaped him and he dozed off.

Big mistake.

He woke up sometime later hearing soft laughter and opened his eyes slowly to come face to face with Damian. Dick was a little behind him with an evil smile on his face and his cell phone raised.

It took his brain a couple of seconds to notice that the kid’s face was covered by a variety of colorful paints but once he did, Tim smacked his hand against his own cheek in disbelief and horror – already imagining how Alfred was going to kill him – and then realized the weird texture of his face.

He stared straight at Dick’s phone, feeling a hundred percent sure his features were just like Damian’s. Before he could let out the scream growing on his throat Alfred walked into the living room and Tim’s heart stopped for a whole second.

“What is the meaning of this?” The butler asked in a scary tone that Batman could only dream to achieve someday.

Tim considered passing out, but his instincts told him he had to make the last trial to survive so he got up, pointed a finger at Dick and opened his mouth. “It’s all Dick’s fault! He let Damian paint my face while I was sleeping.”

Alfred glared darkly at the older brother, he was probably angrier with the possibility of Damian spilling paint on the expensive carpet than with Dick’s lack of responsibility. “No cereal for you while you’re staying here, you hear me, young man? I’m sure master Bruce you’ll agree with me.” The butler made his way to the Cave being closely followed by a desperate Dick.

“But Alfred, that’s not what happened!” Was the last thing Tim heard before they disappeared.

He kind of sympathized with Dick, just the thought of being unable to drink coffee until Christmas made him want to cry.

Tim suddenly remembered Damian was the one to blame for all of this – unless you considered that Tim was the one who gave the paints to the kid – and crossed his arms before staring down at him. “Why did you paint my face, Damian?”

The boy also crossed his own little arms. “You allowed me to.”

Well, crap, Tim kind of had, hadn’t he? With a sigh he picked Damian up and started to rub his cheek, quickly noticing the ink wasn’t coming off. “I guess it’s time for a bath then.”

Before they could reach the stairs there was a knock at the front door. The young man stopped and looked at the kid who, in turn, looked at him back. “Let’s pretend we didn’t hear it.” He whispered to Damian who nodded.

“Ouch, I can hear you just fine, Tim,” Conner’s voice stated from the other side of the door.

Tim laughed and went to open the door, coming face to face with Superboy since he was using the black shirt with the red symbol. How his and Clark’s secret identities weren’t revealed by now was beyond his genius mind. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I decided to check on you since you decided to go MIA,” He said coldly trying to make Tim feel guilty – and succeeding – before raising an eyebrow at the kid. “Is that…?”

“Yes,” He cut the meta off, noticing how Damian was glaring at him.

Luckily Conner was used to seeing all types of weird things so he just nodded before smiling smugly. “Is that the newest trend among the rich and mighty?”

Tim cocked his head to the side, wondering what the hell his friend was talking about when he remembered the paint on their faces. “It was just an accident we had but everything is under control now. We’re about to go clean up,” He then realized he was a terrible host for keeping Conner standing at the front door like that. “Do you want to come in? You’ll have to zipper you jacket up though. If Bruce sees you here like that he’ll flip.”

Before Conner could reply, Damian leaned ahead to reach the door. “What Timothy means is that he’s busy right now but you can come back in twenty or thirty… Years,” He gave a wicked smile and slammed the door.

“Damian! That was really rude,” Tim scolded.

“Do you know what else is rude, Timothy? To show up at someone’s house uninvited.” The kid crossed his arms and returned his glare.

They haven’t had many disagreements until now, mostly because Tim was accomplishing all of Damian’s wishes, but if the kid acted like a brat towards people it would make Tim look like a brat too so he could not accept that. He took too long to get to this conclusion though because he soon heard Conner’s voice: “I guess I’ll see you on Christmas then, bye.”

It was probably best to let him go for now. Without saying a word he turned around and made his way upstairs, his pout matching Damian’s perfectly. The kid never gave him much trouble during bath time but the silence they were in today was just too uncomfortable to handle. “Look, Damian, you can’t be rude to people.”

“Why not?”

There were a hundred of reasons but he went for the one that would make the kid listen to him. “Because it makes me upset.”

Damian looked at him warily while being wrapped in a towel. When Tim lifted the boy his tiny hands went to the usual spot on his hair. “I apologize for upsetting you, Timothy. But I won’t apologize to the clone.”

Well, it was a start.

Tim helped the kid to put on his clothes and dried his hair the best he could. He was sure that unlike him Damian hadn’t taken a nap yet and maybe it was time to do so.

He turned to the kid and almost threw himself out of the window when he noticed that angry expression was back on Damian’s face. With a heavy sight Tim looked up, prying someone up there would take pity on him and then looked back at the kid. “Damian, what do you think about taking a nap, now?”

“I’m not sleeping until you get rid of that thing,” He answered right in the moment Dick stepped into the room.

Tim blinked before pointing at the door. “Dick, you heard him. Out!”

“What?” The man asked confused.

“I do not mean that thing, I mean this one,” Damian snapped while holding Tim’s Superboy blanket. His face was a mix of anger and disgust. 

“You didn’t have a problem with it before,” Tim said with a bored look. He couldn’t just get rid of that blanket, Ma had sewed it to him herself, he loved that blanket!

“You know what, Damian?” Dick got into the conversation like the annoying brat he was. “You can sleep in my room if you want.”

The boy rolled his eyes but seemed to have an idea before standing up on the bed. “If you bring me Superboy’s head, Grayson, you may be my favorite brother again.” He announced and started to kick the blanket away.

“Consider it done, little D!” Dick screamed before running out of the bedroom.

The thought of warning his best friend didn’t cross Tim’s mind because he was too upset by a) the fact that Damian was ruining his blanket and b) Damian just said he was going to replace him with Dick.

Pouting, he rescued his poor blanket and put it in the closet before tucking the boy in. “Maybe you should go sleep in Dick’s room already.”He said bitterly.

Damian looked at him confused and then smiled smugly. “I have no intentions to waste my time with Grayson. I was merely trying to get rid of two disturbances at once.”

Tim should be mad at the boy for manipulating their older brother and threatening his best friend’s life, but all he could feel was pride. He caressed the kid’s hair and smiled at him. “You’re a genius, little man.”

“So are you, Timothy,” He yawned and closed his eyes.

Tim was definitely going to miss that Damian. He had nothing against the eighteen-years-old one but that experience of having a younger brother for real was something he would have a hard time saying goodbye to.

The only thing he couldn’t quite grasp yet was why Damian had warmed up to him instead of choosing someone else. Maybe because Tim was the first person he saw?

Oh well, he guessed he would have to ask Damian once he was back to normal.


	4. Day Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Tim blinked a couple of times. “Does it mean I’m not his favorite?”_

After they had breakfast on that Saturday morning, Tim took Damian to the living room planning to waste the whole day watching movies that had animals on them since they seemed to be the kid’s favorite.

The second he made himself comfortable on the sofa Bruce appeared and asked them to go downstairs immediately. Tim watched him go with a bored expression before lifting the kid and fallowing to the cave.

“Magic is not like pizza, Bruce. You can’t just call me and expect me to deliver it to you in thirty minutes,” He heard the female annoyed voice say.

Tim stepped in front of the computer in time to see Bruce and Zatanna having a staring competition. Although he didn’t want to, the young man decided to make his presence known. “Hey Zatanna, long time no see.”

“Oh, hello Timmy,” The woman shot him a big smile from the other side of the screen and then looked at the kid surprised. “And Damian?”

“I told you it was an emergency,” Bruce mumbled grumpily.

Zatanna made a show of rolling her eyes before focusing on the kid again. “Tell me, Damian, did you remember everyone when you woke up short like that?”

He frowned. “I believe so.”

The magician hummed. “Do you recall what happened in the night before? I mean when you were still tall?”

Damian furred his eyebrows, trying hard to remember. “No,” He whispered.

Tim held him a little tighter, noticing how upset he sounded.

This time Zatanna nodded. “It seems that Damian might not remember everything that he went through, but he recalls the way he feels about each one of the people he knows,” She said to Bruce before raising an eyebrow. “Weird, but still impressive.”

“Can you fix it or not?” Bruce inquired impatiently.

The woman glared at him. “Do you expect me to cast a spell here that will work there?” She asked as if it was the stupidest thing she ever heard. “What time do you usually dine on Christmas Eve?”

B blinked when she suddenly changed subjects. “At nine o’clock,” He answered anyway.

“Perfect! I’ll be there for dinner and then I can take a look at Damian afterward, ok?” She didn’t wait for a reply, just gave a big smile and waved. “Bye Timmy, bye Damian.”

The screen went off and both men looked at each other. “You better warn Alfred that we’ll have one more guest for dinner,” Tim said before starting to make his way upstairs.

The last thing he was expecting when he stepped into the living room was to find Dick standing next to a big box wrapped in a bright red paper. “What is it?” Tim asked.

“This, Timmy, is a present for Dami,” He shot him a smug smile and lightened up when Damian asked to be put down. “It’s all yours, little D.”

Tim kept his poker face on but his desire was to hit his older brother with whatever was inside that box. He watched as the kid got closer and then looked at Dick excited. “Is that the clone head I asked you for?” He inquired.

Dick blinked, his smile dying a little bit. “Ahn, no.”

“Are you sure?” Damian insisted. “It seems to have just the right size,” He said although the box was at least three times bigger than him.

“Yes, little D, I’m sure,” The man answered sounding a bit annoyed.

“Is this a weapon made of Kryptonite then?” Damian tried again.

Tim stood there watching them with an amused smile on his face.

“Why don’t you just open it?” Dick asked hopelessly and threw his hands up.

Tim heard a faint knock on the door and went to see who it was while Damian kept messing with Dick. He pulled the doorknob and smiled instantly when he saw the person standing there. “Hey, Colin.”

“Hi Tim, how are you doing?”

“Fine, thanks,” He moved aside to let the teen come in. “How about you?”

“Good, good,” He shot a look around before facing him again. “I came to talk to Damian, he hasn’t been answering my texts.”

“Oh, Damian had a little accident,” Tim watched as the teen’s eyes widened in worry. “He’s fine though, he was just de-aged,” He quickly clarified.

“Oh my gosh, when did it happen?”

“Well, he was already like that when I woke up on Wednesday so probably the night before.”

Collin sighed and messed his own hair. “We ran into a magician Tuesday night and he managed to hit Damian with a spell before running away. Nothing happened at the moment but he decided to come to the mansion anyway.” He explained filled with sorrow.

“It’s ok, Zatanna will be here tomorrow to take a look at him,” Tim said hoping it would cheer the teen up little.

“Timothy, what is taking you so long?” Damian asked walking in their direction. When he saw their guest he stopped and gave a smile. It wasn’t a big one because Damian just wasn’t that kind of person but it was still there. “Collin!”

“Hey Dami,” He greeted and made a move to pick the boy up. Tim felt surprised and a little bit jealous when he let him do so.

Dick suddenly appeared holding a big Nightwing plushie. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” He screamed once he caught the kid in Colin’s arms and stormed away.

“He’s having a hard week,” Tim answered to the teen’s curious look.

They went to the living room and the young man put a movie on to keep Damian distracted. While the kid watched the screen carefully Tim took the opportunity to tell Colin everything that happened in the past few days.

“He took a liking to you, hum?” The teen asked with a little smile, there was a glint in his eyes that Tim just couldn’t ignore.

“Yeah,” Tim drew the word, suspicious. He took a sip of the orange juice Alfred had just brought to them. “Weird, isn’t it?”

Colin shrugged and his smile got wider. “I guess?”

“Does Damian ever talk about me?” He blurted out.

It was the teen’s turn to take a sip of his juice, almost as if he was buying himself time to think about the answer. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

So very helpful… If Damian was acting accordingly to the way he felt towards people then why was he being so nice to Tim? They didn’t hate each other but if Damian had to choose one of his brothers to spend a long time with, he thought the obvious choice would be Dick, not him.

Tim opened his mouth and his eyes widened when he came to a conclusion. “I’m Damian’s favorite brother, aren’t I?” He whisper-shouted with a big smile. “Oh my gosh, Dick is so annoying, of course I’m his favorite!”

Colin laughed but quickly shut up when Damian shot him a dark look. The boy turned back to the TV and Tim watched the teen catch his breath and stop to think a little, as if he was making up his mind. “Look, Tim, I don’t have a brother, but if I did I don’t think I would be feeding him, sleeping next to him and just being around him all the time, you know?”

Tim blinked a couple of times. “Does it mean I’m not his favorite?”

The teen chuckled and mumbled something that sounded a lot like _god, you’re clueless_. “Don’t you think that these things Damian is doing look like things a couple would do?” He suggested and then looked at Tim hopeful.

The young man knitted his eyebrows to think about it. “Oh,” He breathed out and then a smile appeared on his face. “You mean to tell me that…”

“Yeah…” Colin encouraged him.

“Young Damian has a crush on me? Awnnn, that’s so cute!”

The teen sighed before looking right at his eyes. “Damian has a crush on you. He's had it for two years.”

They both fell in silence. Long, awkward silence.

“You’re mocking me,” Tim stated a little louder than a whisper.

Colin did that thing with his hair again that got it all messed up. He looked sad. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but Damian wasn’t either and I think he should, you know?” He sighed again. “If he doesn’t have a chance, can you tell him so? Maybe he’ll be able to move on then.”

“I…I…” Tim stuttered still not being able to believe. He took a deep breath. “I think you did the right thing. I promise I’ll talk to Damian once he’s back to normal.”

The teen brightened up. “Does it mean you like him too?”

Tim looked at the kid who was too engrossed in what was happening on the screen. He never noticed any signals coming from Damian, was he really that clueless? He thought all the teasing was the way his brother had found to tell him that he was ok with his presence, not that he liked-liked him. “I never thought about it,” He admitted.

“It would be nice if you could, you know, maybe give him a chance?” Colin opened his mouth as if he had just remembered something. “Unless you’re with Conner, of course.”

“What? No,” Tim shook his head. “Kon is my best friend.”

The teen laughed. “Damian never could tell if there was something going between the two of you. I think you understand why he acted the way he did with Conner yesterday.”

“Yeah,” Tim whispered. “I guess it makes sense now.”

“It’s time for me to go now” Colin stood up and caressed Damian’s hair. “By Dami, I’ll see you tomorrow,”

“Goodbye,” The boy answered with a yawn.

Tim walked Colin to the door. Although his body was there in the moment his mind was far away.

“Just think about everything I told you, ok?” Colin said before crossing the door. Before Tim could close it, he turned around. “And don’t freak out,” He teased lightly.

Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one that had just found out his younger brother had a crush on him. Ugh! He went back to the same spot on the couch and didn’t even feel surprised when Damian got up from the other sofa and sat on his lap.

Tim started to caress his hair and closed his eyes.

If Dick found out about it, Tim would be a dead man, he was certain of that.


	5. Day Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> __
> 
>  
> 
> Zatanna held her chin between her thumb and index finger while staring at the kid. Damian boldly looked back at her.
> 
> “Yep, he was de-aged,” She concluded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, we're one chapter away from the end of this work!  
> This is kind of sad, isn't it?

Tim took Colin’s advice to heart and didn’t freak out. Not much. He decided to save it for once Damian was back to normal.

He, Damian and Dick had spent the whole day decorating the manor for the dinner that would be hosted later and after being scolded and threatened by Alfred, they were able to finish everything with enough time to get ready.

“Listen, Damian,” Tim said while he finished combing the kid’s hair. “This dinner thing is very important to Alfred so, please, try not to be so…” He looked for the right word while waving the comb around. “Intolerant with people, ok?”

Damian rolled his eyes and then shrugged. “It seems like a waste of time, but I’ll do my best.”

Better than nothing, right? They made their way downstairs noticing the good job they had done with the decorations and sat down to wait for the guests. Some minutes later Bruce appeared looking very annoyed, his distress probably had something to do with Dick who was coming right behind him.

“Timmy, Dami, can you, please, tell B that Clark is going to love that new outfit of his?!” The eldest teased under B’s angered stare.

“Hum… I don’t know, I think Clark likes what is underneath it best,” Jason said having just stepped into the room.

“Little Wing!” Dick shouted and then ran to hug his brother.

“All right, let me go,” Complained the second Robin. He had just been released when Bruce caught him in an awkward hug too. Jason always took too long to come back to the nest; he was for sure the most missed.

Tim totally didn’t feel his eyes getting watery for seeing his family together and got up to have his turn.

“Little Bird.” He mumbled.

“Hey, Jay.”

Once they parted Jason looked at Damian with his eyebrows knitted but picked him up anyway. If Damian let him because he genuinely missed the second Robin or because he wanted to mess with Dick a little more, Tim didn’t know.

Jay handed the kid back to him and turned to them with a smug smile. “I brought company; I hope you don’t mind them.” In the moment he said that Koriand’r and Roy appeared in the room. Tim rolled his eyes. “We don’t mind Kori.” He made sure to emphasize.

Roy gave one of his wicked smiles. “Hey Timmy, I’m happy to see you’ll have company on the kid's table this year.”

Tim scoffed. “You know what, Roy? I’m sure someone is very happy that you decided to spend Christmas Eve with us. This person is just not here though.”

“Ok, knock it off you two,” Bruce said before the other man could reply.

They all sat down after Koriand’r and Roy greeted everyone properly and started to make small talk.

“So, when are you going to marry?” Dick asked the trio.

“Don’t worry about it, dickhead. It’s not like you’re going to be invited,” Jason teased.

While they started with the usual bickering, Damian quietly claimed Tim’s attention by poking his cheek. “I thought we could not be intolerant with people tonight.” He whispered.

Tim remembered the things he had just said to Roy and patted the boy’s back. “Look, Damian, Roy is more like an annoying fly that won’t leave you alone than a person, so it’s okay.”

The kid looked at him warily but finally nodded in understanding.

A couple of minutes later Colin showed up and soon Diana did too. Alfred exited the kitchen for the first time in the day and although he tried to keep the serious butler act on, he wasn’t able to avoid receiving a hug from everyone in the room.

“Dinner will be served in ten minutes,” He announced before disappearing again.

“Why isn’t Clark here yet?” Diana inquired no one in particular 

“He must be putting out a fire somewhere,” Bruce answered bitterly while everyone else snickered. It was quite obvious that the man was more than annoyed by his boyfriend’s absence.

“Maybe he’s avoiding your psycho kids,” Roy offered. “I would.”

“What are you talking about?” Jason asked glaring at his boyfriend along with the other three Robins. “You’re banging one of them.”

“Hey!” Tim snapped. “There is a kid in the room.”

Before things could get even more out of hand they heard a knock on the door, making Bruce jump from the chair he was seated on. “Finally!” He whispered, not even bothering to pretend he wasn’t excited.

Martha and Conner soon appeared and started to greet everyone while Clark had probably stayed behind to fight or make out with Bruce, Tim didn’t want to know which. Once they joined them they started to go to the dining room, but not before Conner had tried to hug Tim but gave up when Damian growled at him.

“I guess I’ll give you a hug later,” The clone said rolling his eyes.

“Over my dead body, you will,” The kid replied with a glare.

Luckily Colin was the only one who witnessed it and just shot a knowing smile at Tim, choosing not to comment.

They all sat down but before they could start eating Zatanna suddenly appeared in the corner of the room. She looked at all of the surprised faces staring at her and smiled. “Oh, I finally got it right, and just in time!” She cheered before sitting down on the only chair left.

They all exchanged blank stares when she started helping herself and decided to do the same. Although Damian was seated on his lap Tim put his food on a different plate since the kid refused to eat any animal.

Dinner was very eventful, to say the least. Everyone was talking happily and exchanging easy smiles.

Tim caught Bruce and Clark dumbly looking at each other a couple of times and wondered if Damian and he would be like that if they ever got together. He doubted it, Damian didn’t look like the romantic type and he was a complete disaster. Tim just didn’t know how they could work as a couple.

They finished eating later and moved back to the living room. Zatanna was about to sit next to Diana to start gossiping but was stopped when Bruce grabbed her arm. “I believe we have something to discuss.” He said and then guided her to the library.

Tim quietly followed them and closed the door behind him and Damian.

“When I said I would take a look at him after dinner, I didn’t mean right after it,” The magician complained with a pout.

Bruce merely rolled his eyes and signed for Tim to put Damian on the sofa. The boy didn’t protest since he was aware that woman would make him tall again.

Zatanna held her chin between her thumb and index finger while staring at the kid. Damian boldly looked back at her.

“Yep, he was de-aged,” She concluded.

B growled. “We already got that, thank you. Can you fix it already?”

The woman left a long sigh out and got closer to Damian; she said a couple of words in Latin and then snapped her finger around his head. “It’s done!” She announced already making her way to the living room.

“Is that all?” Bruce inquired.

“Yep,” She put her hand on the doorknob.

“But nothing happened!” Tim stated before getting closer to the kid.

“For the last time: magic is not like pizza, you’ll have to wait twenty-four hours,” She opened the door. “Dinner was awesome, thank you for inviting me.”

“I did not invite you!” Bruce snapped and followed the woman that had already exited the library.

“How are you feeling?” Tim asked before picking the kid up.

Damian held his hair and shrugged. “The same. I don’t think she’s a very good magician.”

Tim tried to hold back his laugh but failed. “Now, now Damian, don’t be ungrateful.”

They went back to the living room and the young man quickly found Colin. He discretely signed for the teen to approach and shot Damian a pointed look.

“Hey Dami, do you think you can show me the Christmas tree?” Colin asked, having understood perfectly that Tim needed some time away from the kid.

“It’s right there,” Damian showed the location with his index finger.

Colin rolled his eyes. “I know. I want you to show me the decorations.”

“If I must,” The boy replied annoyed but let himself be carried away nonetheless.

Tim quickly went to the now empty dining room and called Conner’s name. It didn’t take long for him to show up.

“Where’s your bodyguard?” He asked after looking around.

“Not here.” Tim answered before they exchanged a quick hug.

Conner’s smile faded and gave place to a frown. “Did I do something to Dick? He’s been giving me these weird looks all night.”

The young man remembered Dick’s promise to give Damian his best friend’s head and blinked a couple of times before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think so.”There would be enough time to warn his friend later, he had more important matters at hand now.

“Damian likes me.” He blurted out.

Conner huffed. “Yeah man, I noticed.”

“I mean in a romantic way.”

“Isn’t he a little young for that?” He inquired.

“I mean eighteen-years-old Damian,” Tim explained exasperatedly.

“Still,” Conner teased but became serious under his best friend’s glare. “Ok, so Damian likes you and now you’re freaking out.”

“I’m not,” Tim denied. He was actually doing a pretty good job at not freaking out. This time. “I just don’t know what to do.” He admitted.

“You know what?” Conner held his shoulders. “You should go for it, the worst thing that can happen is if you fall for him.”

Tim frowned. “How come this is the worst thing?”

“If he’s that possessive at four, imagine how he must be at eighteen. He probably won’t let us hang out and you’ll never see me again.” The teasing smile came back. “And I know you’re miserable without me.”

The young man rolled his eyes in the exact moment they heard someone yelling in pain. “That little shit just kicked me!” Came Roy’s cry from the living room.

“I guess that’s my cue to go,” Tim said and started to walk away.

“Wait,” Conner called and he turned around. “Damian is not all bad, I think you should give him a chance. You have my permission to date him.”

Tim scoffed. “Right. Thank you, dad.”

When he walked into the living room he totally didn’t miss the smile Clark shot in his direction.

Crap, he forgot Conner wasn’t the only one with superhearing in the house.


	6. Day Six And Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A couple of minutes later Bruce and Clark appeared in the room and were showered with whistles from Jason, Dick, and Roy. Before they could die of embarrassment – although Bruce’s face showed nothing -, Kori shushed the three of them by smacking their heads._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter and I feel like crying.  
> The end is not what I usually go for, but, well, you'll see.

It was well past eleven when Tim woke up in the next day. He had stayed up until midnight like everyone else just so they could celebrate the first moments of Christmas together; he was able to last one more hour before his eyes started to close on their own and he decided to go to sleep, Damian being already passed out on his arms.

He was going to miss sleeping that much once he went back to his old habits, his only option was to enjoy all he could now and Tim had planned to do just that but, of course, he could always count on Dick to screw everything up.

The elder brother had stormed into his bedroom and started to jump on his bed like the child he should already have grown out of. “Wake up, you two! It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas!” He screamed before running out of the room.

Feeling beyond tired, Tim and Damian exchanged a fast, annoyed look and went back to sleep; the kid resting comfortably on the other’s chest.

Less than five seconds later Dick came back still screaming – It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas! – and pulled the blanket that was covering them, exposing the duo to the chilly air.

Damian growled like an angered animal and stormed out after Dick. Tim silently rooted for him to catch the elder and then, to decrease his desire to see his brother dead, imagined Dick slipping down the stairs and feeling lots of pain.

He left a content sigh out and got up to make his morning routine but didn’t bother to change out of his pajamas. He went downstairs and found everyone, excluding Bruce and Alfred, having a late breakfast around the Christmas tree. Damian was seated next to Kori, his focus was now on opening a gift probably given to him so he would forget about killing Dick.

“Good morning, everyone,” He greeted before sitting next to the fireplace. As soon as he heard his voice Damian seemed to remember his existence and made his way to him while everyone greeted him back. “What is it, little man?” He asked once the boy sat on his lap.

“Your gift,” He mumbled, still trying to get rid of the wrapper.

“Oh,” Tim said and then bit his lip. He had to admit he wasn’t very creative this year, he just bought Damian a large, simple sketchbook he thought the boy would find useful. He kind of wished he had tried harder to come up with something better now.

“Wow, I like it very much, Timothy. Thank you,” The kid said before lending a peck on his cheek. He carefully wrapped the present again and left it by Tim’s side before running to the tree.

The young man sighed and bitterly thought that Dick’s present for Damian would probably be amazing. He was so deep in thought that only realized Damian was back when he sat on his lap again.

“This is for you,” He said while handing him a gift.

Tim read the tag and realized the present was from Damian himself. He must have wrapped it and put it under the tree before being de-aged. The young man opened it carefully unlike some of his brothers – cof Dick cof Jason cof – and made his best poker face when he found… A sketchbook. Truth be told, unless you considered stick figures art, Tim wasn’t much of a drawer and Damian knew it.

He opened it and his eyes widened when he noticed all the pages were occupied by drawings of him. He quickly realized all his poses seemed very alike each other from one page to another. He opened the sketchbook wider and started to drop the pages from the last to the first one, watching in awe as the sketches gained motion. At first, Tim was looking at the right, probably to a window, taking by the way the light had been drawn, and then his head started to move to the left like he had just turned to look at who was holding the sketchbook and then a smile appeared on his lips.

Tim felt his eyes getting watery and cursed to himself. He couldn’t cry right now, if he did everyone would want to see what Damian gave him - and call him selfish you want -, but it was too perfect, too precious to be shared.

Not trusting his voice right now, he hugged the kid tightly and blinked the tears away. “Thank you, little man. This is the best gift I could ask for,” He whispered as soon as the lump in his throat disappeared.

He kissed the boys’ temple and Damian shot him his small smile even though his emerald eyes were clearly filled with pride and happiness. After that, the kid kept going to the tree and getting gifts so they could open them together.

A couple of minutes later Bruce and Clark appeared in the room and were showered with whistles from Jason, Dick, and Roy. Before they could die of embarrassment – although Bruce’s face showed nothing -, Kori shushed the three of them by smacking their heads.

Of course, Jason, being Jason, had no limits. “Bruce, did you invite Clark to sleep over without my permission? Now you’re in trouble, mister,” He mocked.

Bruce groaned while Clark blushed. “You’re really close to being disowned.”

Everyone laughed and soon Alfred appeared with hot cocoa and toasts. The butler sat down too and started to open his own gifts.

“Hey Clark, this one is from Bruce,” Dick said after reading the tag. He weirdly brought the wrapped box close to his face and scented it. “It smells expansive,” He announced before handing it to the reporter.

Tim snickered while Bruce glared at his elder son. The young man was glad that Clark was now part of the family, although he couldn’t understand how he bared all the teasing from his brothers, the title of Superman was not in vain.

After they opened all of the gifts, everyone else went outside to play in the snow. Dick hadn’t thought of buying appropriated clothes for Damian to go outside so he had been forbidden to do so and Tim certainly wouldn’t leave the kid alone, so they decided to watch some movies.

“It’s ok, little man. Once you’re big again we can play outside,” Tim tried to cheer him up. “We can even bury Dick on the snow, Roy too.”

Damian’s pout finally gave place to a content expression and they focused on the movie again.

Sometime later they had lunch and went to the library after; Damian started to draw on his new sketchbook while Tim read a book. He was just turning to another page when he caught Damian wiping sweat from his forehead. Tim knitted his eyebrows and went to check on the kid, even with the fireplace on there was no reason for him to be sweating. “What’s wrong, little man?” He asked before putting the back of his hand against his forehead.

“I do not feel very good,” He admitted weakly.

With his mind clouded with worry, Tim picked him up and stormed out after Alfred. He found the butler in the kitchen and gave him no time to scold him for running inside the house. “He’s burning up!” He stated loudly.

Alfred took the boy from his arms and put his cheek against Damian’s forehead. “He has a fever. I’m going to take him upstairs,” He said already walking away. “Go tell Master Bruce,” He called over his shoulder before Tim could follow him.

Tim did not want to be away from Damian but the quicker he got it done the sooner he could be with him again. The young man ran to the front door and opened it. “Damian has a fever,” He screamed before slamming the door shut and running after Alfred upstairs.

He helped the butler tuck the boy in and watched as Alfred started to press a wet cloth to the kid’s forehead. Damian moaned a little but didn’t fight against it.

Soon everyone appeared in the doorway but they were forbidden to enter since the butler didn’t want them to startle Damian. Bruce was the one who came in. “Zatanna said the fever might be due to Damian’s body fighting to go back to normal.”

Tim sighed. It sure wasn’t the way he had wanted him to spend his last day as a kid but at least it meant he would be himself again soon.

“In this case, I suggest we all go back to our activities and leave master Damian in peace,” Tim was about to protest but was cut off by the butler. “Master Timothy, do you mind?” He asked offering him the wet cloth.

The young man took his place and waited until everyone was gone. “How are you, Damian?”

“I feel sleepy,” He answered with a yawn.

Perfect! If Damian could go to sleep now he wouldn’t have to suffer because of the fever. “You can sleep, little man.”

He pursed his lips. “Will you stay here?”

Tim felt his eyes getting watery and nodded. “Until the end.”

“And after?” Damian reinforced.

The young man breathed in and kissed his temple. “Until the end and after, I promise.”

Damian closed his eyes and Tim watched his chest move with every breath. Time passed and occasionally someone would come and check on them, Tim barely noticed and only answered their questions without taking his eyes off Damian.

He decided to lie down on the other side of the bed, trying to get comfortable even though it was very weird to be in Damian’s room. He thought about everything they went through these past few days and before he knew it, he had dozed off.

Tim woke up later with a weight on him. He looked down and saw Damian’s arm around his waist. He blinked a couple of times and glanced at the rest of his body, noticing he was very back to normal and also very naked. He breathed out and felt Damian’s hold tightening around him.

The young man suddenly felt too conscious. This was too fast, too out of the ordinary. He casted a glance at the open door and felt the urge to run away to somewhere he could worry about their possible future together and panic in peace.

He took a deep breath in and made his best to cover Damian with the blanket, shielding him from the cold.

Tim was still freaking out inside, still felt like running, but he had promised he would stay, and so he did.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I could do the chapters longer and add more details and moments between everyone in the family, but I decided to keep it simple so I can finish it instead of losing my interest in the middle and end up abandoning the work.  
> I really like TimDami so I'm happy I can at least help to increase the number of their works a bit. Enough of that, see you soon!


End file.
